Hydraulic clutch mechanism.



Witnesses:

E. THOMSON.

HYDRAULIC CLUTCH MECHANISM. APPLICATION IILED 111:0.10, 1913.

1,1 18,384, Patented Nov. 24, 1914.

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I nventort Elihu Thomson,

which is carried TED s'rArrns PATENT OFFICE.

ELIHU THOMSON, OF SWAMPSCO'IT, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

HYDRAULIC CLUTCH MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 24., 1914..

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ELIHU Tnomsou, a citizen of the United States, residing at Swampscott, county of Essex, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hydraulic Clutch Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a hydraulically. controlled clutch mechanism.

,One object of the invention is to provide such a mechanism which is self contained and compact, yet powerful.

A further object is to provide a hydraulic clutch mechanism which is controlled by merely opening and closing a valve, which valve may be situated wherever it is convenient to have it placed.

In carrying out my invention I provide a easing into which extend two shafts, a driving shaft and a driven shaft. These shafts carry complementary clutch members adapted to engage and disengage each other for coupling the driving shaft to and uncoupling the same from the driven'shaft.

Any desired or known form of clutch may be used. A multiple disk clutch, however, has certain advantages in connection with my invention and is very effective and-I have, therefore, preferred to illustrate the invention as embodying such a clutch, the members of which engage and disengage by longitudinal movement relative to each other. Arranged inside the casing is a centrifugal pumping)apparatus, the im eller of livery side. The delivery s1de of the pump communicates with a relativelysmall chamber or space which is connected to the reservoir by a suitable pipe forming a .by-pass around the pump. This by-pass is controlled by a valve. With this valve closed,

.- the-pump sets up a circulation of fluid from the reservoir to thedelivery chamber and builds .up a considerable pressure therein,

' which pressure is directly utilized to force the clutch members into engagement. Pref-- erably this 0 oration takes place through the medium 0 a suitable piston. When this a y the driving sha t. This valve is open, however, the fluid from the delivery side of the pump is bypassed back to the reservoir and but a small pressure will then exist in the delivery chamber or space. From this it will be clear that the clutch will engage and disengage by merely closing and opening the valve. The pipes forming the by-pass may be made to extend to a point so that the valve may be within easy reach of the operator. The valve mav be operated by hand or by the foot or any similar way. It might be opened by a pedal against a spring which would close it or the reverse, or in a similar manner it might be opened by hand closed manually and left partly opened or partlyclosed as desired. ()n the other hand, the valve may be located at a point distant from the operator or adjacent the clutch and operated through suitable mechanical or electrical connections. Such a clutch is applicable to any case of intermittent application of power from a moving motor or engine to do work. It has certain features, however, which, as will be pointed out more fully hereinafter, make it Well adapted for use in connecting the engine of an automobile to thedriving ear.

Referring to the rawing wherein I have illustrated a specific embodiment of my in vention, Figure 1 shows in a general way the application of my clutch to an automobile drive; Fig. 2 is a section of the apparatus through a verticalplane of Fig. 3; Fig. 3 is an endview partly in section; Fig. 4 1s a-sectional view of a portion of Fig. 2 taken on the line 44; Fig. 5 illustrates a portion of the centrifugal pumping apparatus, and Fig. 6 the impeller with parts broken away to illustrate more clearly the relation of the impeller to the diaphragm.

Referring to Fig. 2, 1 is a shaft driven by a motor, engine or other power, which passes into the casing of a clutch device 2 and carries a centrifugal impeller'3. The drivin shaft 1is extended to pass loosely throug the center of a piston 4 and carries keys which drive a set of disks 6 forming one ing 2 is practically oil-tight and extends around the whole apparatus having suitable bearings 13 and 14 for the two shafts. The casing is held stationary by being fixed to some support, as by part 15. At the lefthand end of the casing where the shaft l enters, is a fluid containing reservoir 16 provided with a suitable filling opening 17 through which the fluid, such as oil, preferably lubricating oil, may be intrpduced. 0n the right this reservoir or space is sepa rated from; theimpeller 8 by a thin diaphragm 18.

The impeller isa steel disk having radial holes 19. bored into. it down to a certain depth to intersect lateral holes 20 bored through front side to side near the center ,of said disk. The impeller revolves within the inner periphery of a ring 21 in which are formed'oblique chambers or grooves 22 having one end in line with the radial holes 19 and the other end in line with radial holes ervoir 16. there is a sort of apron 18 depend ing from above the opening 28 to a point near the bottom of the reservoir. This forms a duct leading to the impeller from the lower portion of the reservoir so that the impeller will receive fluid even though the same be low in the reservoir.

Ell

Connecting the chamber or space 27 on the delivery side of the pump with thesuctionside is the by-pass pipe or conduit 29,

- the opening through which is controlled by a. valve 30. Thisconduit may be made of such length as to bring the valve 30 to any desired location for operation either directly or indirectly. lln Fig. 1 the same is shown as being arranged alongside the drivers seat of therautomobile. The piston 4: may fit into the casing'and slide freely, and in case any oil or'fluid gets by'the piston, it collects at thelbottom of the casing and returns to the reservoir 16 by way of passages 31, as best shown in Fig. 4, in which passage is arranged a suitable .check valve 32 to prevent it from flowing-back from the reservoir. A light spring. 33 is arranged between the clutch and the rear of the piston and tends to push the same back when the pressure is relieved.

The operation is as follows? lUpon start ing up the engine, motor, .or other device connected to shaft 1, the shaft is turned iiasse thereby rotating the impeller 3. As the openings 20 of the impeller successively pass the opening 28 in diaphragm 18, they receive fluid from the reservoir 16 and deliver it to the communicating oblique chamber or groove 22. From this groove it is fed to the adjacent communicating radial hole 23 of the diaphragm 24 from which it passes to the next radial impeller" hole 19 by way of communicating openings 25 and 20 to be again thrown out by the impeller to the next oblique chamber 22. This process is repeated around the entire periphery of the impeller,

the fluid being finally delivered through opening 26 to the space or reservoir 27. The action of the fluid at this point will depend on the position of valve 30. If open, the

fluid is by-passed from the space 27 back to the reservoir by pipe 29 and nothing further happens except to circulate a moderate quantity of oil. When thevalve is closed, with the shaft 1 driving the impeller 3 at considerable speed, then the fluid taken up by the pump or impeller is finally delivered under considerable pressure between the duct bearing diaphragm 24 and the movable piston 4 and these are pushed apart. The piston,

being movable, acts to close the disks of the movable disk clutch, one on the other, so as to tighten the clutch, and thus the power given to the shaft 1 by the motor or other device is made to turn the'shaft 12. If less grip is required on the clutch than is so obtained, it is only necessary to open the bypass valve 30 a little and allow a leakage. Should the valve 30 be closed and there be such a back strain upon the driving power through shaft 12 that the motive power communicated to part 1 is unable to overcome this strain, then the speed of the shafts 12 and 1 will fall, but the pressure developed by the revolving parts of the pump will also fall more rapidly than the speed under ordinary circumstances. In fact, the pressure developed isas' the square of the speed, so that at some speed which can be set, the clutch will begin "to slip and relieve the strain on the motive power, which strain in the case of a gasolene engine might cause it to stall. The slipping can be arranged to be at just that speed which the engine will maintain without stalling, with a little margin of safety. When, however, the back strain on the'shaft 12 is relieved, the increased speed imparted at once sets theclutch into full action again without slip.

The centrifugal pump illustrated is in substance a multi-stage compressor, the sev- .not limited to this specific type of centrifugal pump, as where the speed is high or eral stages being-angularly arranged as to eachrother around a single impeller. This said clutching mechanism to where a heavy fluid, as mercury, is used, an ordinary centrifugal pump with a single stage, taking fluid near the center and decient.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have described the principle of operation of my invention together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof; but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative, and that the invention can be carried out by other means. 1

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. The combination of a driving member, a driven member, clutching mechanism for connecting said members, means for operating said clutching mechanism, and a centrifugal compressor having its impeller mounted on said driving member for operating said means.

2. The combination of a driving member, a driven member, clutching mechanism for connecting said members which becomes effective upon the relative movement there of, a piston for effectin said relative movement, and a centrifuga compressor having its impeller mounted on said driving member for operating said piston.

3. The combination of a driving member, a driven member, clutching mechanism for connecting said members, pressure operated means for causing said clutching mechanism to become effective, a centrifugal compressor having its impeller mounted on said driving member for building up a pressure for operating said pressure operated means, a bypass around said compressor, and a controlling valve in said by-pass.

4. The combination of a casing, a driving member and a driven member extending into the casing, clutching mechanism for connecting said members, pressureoperated means mounted in said casing) for causing ecome effective, a reservoir in the casing, and a lcentrifugal compressor mounted in said casing and having its impeller mounted on the livering it to the periphery would be sufii driving member for delivering fluid under pressure from said reservoir to said pressure operated means.

5. The combination of a casing, a driving member and a driven member extending into the casing, clutching mechanism for connecting said members, pressure operated means mounted in said casing for causing said clutching mechanism to become efi'ective, a reservoir in the casing, a centrifugal compressor mounted in said casin and having its impeller mounted on the driving member. for delivering fluid under pressure from said reservoir to said pressure operated means, a by-pass 'connecting the delivery side of said compressor to the reservoir, and a controlling valve in said by-pass.

6. The combination of a casing, a driving member and a driven member extending into the casing, clutching mechanism for connecting said members which becomes effective upon relative movement, a piston mounted in the casing "for efl'ectirig such relative movement, a reservoir in the casing, a centrifugal compressor having its impeller mounted on said. driving member for delivering fluid under pressure from said reservoir to said piston, a by-pass connecting the delivery side of the compressor to said reservoir, and a controlling valve 1n said by-pass.

7. The combination of a casing, a driving member and a driven member extending into said casing, clutching mechanism for connecting said members, pressure operated means for causing said clutching mechanism to become efi'ective, a reservoir in said casing, a centrifugal compressor for delivering fluid under pressure the pressure operated means and having an intake opening communicating With the reservoir adjacent'its center, and an apron surrounding the opening and communicating with the reservoir at the lower side only.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this fifth day of December, 1913.

ELIHU THOMSON.

Witnesses JOHN P. MCMANUB, J r., HENRY A. ANDERBEN.

from said reservoir to 

